In Webb v. Texas, the defendant, Bobby Wayne Webb, was convicted of murder in a Texas court. During his trial, the judge singled out and admonished the sole defense witness about perjury penalties without giving similar warnings to any other witnesses or providing general instructions on truth-telling to all witnesses. The U.S Supreme Court ruled that this action by the judge intimidated and effectively drove away Webb's only witness for his defense which violated his Fourteenth Amendment right to due process of law as it denied him a fair opportunity to present his case. Therefore, it reversed Webb’s conviction stating that every criminal defendant is constitutionally entitled to an opportunity for a proper defense.

In the dissenting opinion for Webb v. Texas, it was argued that the trial judge's warning to a defense witness about potential perjury charges did not necessarily constitute judicial misconduct or violation of due process rights. The dissenting justices believed that while the judge's comments were harsh and perhaps ill-advised, they did not amount to an explicit threat or intimidation that would have deterred a reasonable person from testifying. They also pointed out that there was no evidence presented showing any actual bias on part of the judge against this particular defendant or his case. Furthermore, they noted that judges often have to warn witnesses about possible legal consequences of their testimonies in order to maintain integrity and fairness in court proceedings.